Veneered raised panel element and method of manufacturing thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to veneered paneled elements such as doors. For example, a veneered raised panel door could include two vertically-oriented framing members (e.g., stiles) and two horizontally-oriented framing members (e.g., rails). These members are combined with a center panel to create a door frame. Each exposed edge of the door is layered with an edge banding. This edge banding (e.g., a wood or plastic veneer) covers any joints between the vertically-oriented and horizontally oriented framing members.

This application is a national filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 ofinternational application no. PCT/US01/47909, filed on Dec. 12, 2001,which application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/751,969, filed on Dec. 29, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,827, whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to the manufacture of elements such asdoors and more particularly to a veneered raised panel element such as adoor and method of manufacturing thereof.

BACKGROUND

Raised panel doors have been a part of the building and cabinetindustries for many years. As shown in FIG. 1, a raised panel door 10generally includes five components: two rails 12, two stiles 14, and acenter panel 16. When the rails 12 and stiles 14 are assembled, theresulting structure is the outer frame 22 of door 10. The rails 12 formthe horizontal portions of the door 10 and the stiles 14 form thevertical portions of door 10.

During manufacture, the rails 12 and stiles 14 may be processed by amachine, such as a soft former (not shown), which machines grooves onthe inside edges 18 of stiles 14 and rails 12 while a double-endtennoner machines a cope on the ends of rails 12. The copes on rails 12fit into the patterns comprising grooves on stiles 14 for connecting thetwo components together. Glue may then be applied to the intersectingportions of the stiles and rails, and the pieces assembled together as aframe around center panel 16. The center panel 16, as well as the stiles14 and rails 12, are traditionally held in place with staples (notshown) to provide strength while the glue cures. Although machines maybe used to perform some of the processes used in forming raised paneldoor 10, many processes are performed by humans, resulting in alabor-intensive and expensive manufacturing process.

For many years, each of the five components of the raised panel door 10was made of solid wood materials, which may be quite costly and oftenlack uniformity in color and grain patterns. With the invention of thevacuum press, however, the industry has moved to manufacturing raisedpanel doors 10 in which the center panel 16 is made of a veneered panel.Such technology has enabled manufacturers to press and bend veneer overthe gently sloping surface of a core material, making the manufacturingof the door more cost effective. These doors are still labor intensiveand costly, however, because the rails 12 and stiles 14 are stillmanufactured out of solid wood materials.

Manufacturing raised panel doors 10 with solid wood materials hasresulted in disadvantages that affect the manufacturing process, theconsumer, and the environment. One disadvantage of raised panel doors 10utilizing solid wood materials is the amount of wood that is requiredduring manufacturing. It is increasingly becoming more difficult toobtain solid stock without blemishes such as knots and which hasconsistent color. These characteristics are undesirable to manufacturersbecause they compromise the high quality door desired by consumers. Thescarcity of wood stock possessing desirable characteristics is furtherexacerbated as this stock has become scarcer due to the stock being soldfor veneers and at a higher price. Thus, generally the only materialleft for stiles and rails on raised panel doors 10 is stock that isrejected for veneers. An entire manufacturing process may be needed toprovide acceptable wood for the stiles and rails, and much of theoriginal wood stock (e.g., 50–60%) may be wasted in the process.

Although the manufacturing of the center panel 16 out of a veneeredsubstrate has alleviated some of the effects of wood shortages, otherproblems arise from the incorporation of different products into asingle raised panel door 10. First, the veneered center panel 16 of thedoor 10 may stain to different color than the solid wood stiles andrails. Secondly, the veneered center panel 16 may have a more uniformpattern than the rails 12 and stiles 14 because of the different woodstock used for the veneer and for the solid wood rails 12 and stiles 14.As explained above, the veneer will generally be of a better qualitywood stock. Thirdly, the door 10 has a tendency to expand and contractmore because of the solid wood materials used in the manufacturing ofthe stiles and rails. This necessitates the need to staple the centerpanel into position to allow for the relative movement between thedifferent pieces.

Stapling also results in unsightly staple holes for the manufacturer tofill and evidence of the staple may still be seen in the finishedproduct. Warping of the solid wood pieces may also occur. Furthermore,the assembled door 10 results in a product in which the seams of thecope and groove 20 may be seen along the outer edges of the door 10. Inaddition, the ends of stiles 14 next to the cope of rails 12 exposes thecross grain of the wood, which does not match and is not asaesthetically pleasing as the wood on the side of the adjacent rails.Also, the end grain generally allows a faster rate of moistureabsorption than the edge grain, thereby increasing the risk of warpingand instability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other problems are generally solved or circumvented, andtechnical advantages are generally achieved by preferred embodiments ofthe present invention. In one preferred embodiment, the raised paneldoor comprises at least two vertically-oriented framing members, eachvertically-oriented framing member having a cavity within the framingmember along a first of two elongated sides forming a top edge and abottom edge and having a first pattern profile along the top edge. Thedoor also comprises at least two horizontally-oriented framing membersdisposed between the at least two vertically-oriented framing members,each horizontally-oriented framing member having a cope at each of twohorizontal ends which is shaped to fit within the cavity of thevertically-oriented framing members to form a door frame, and having asecond pattern profile along one of two vertical ends, the secondpattern profile designed to tranversely align with the first profile toform a consistent pattern profile around the door frame. A center panelis disposed within the door frame. Edge banding is applied to each ofthe outer edges. Each of the at least two vertically-oriented members,at least two horizontally-oriented members, and center panel comprise aveneered layered substrate.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, a method for making a door comprises forming pieces of asubstrate into at least two vertically-oriented members having a cavitywithin the vertically-oriented members, at least twohorizontally-oriented members having a cope at each of two verticalends, the cope designed to fit within the cavity of each of thevertically oriented members, and a center panel, each member havingprofiled inner edges and outer edges; assembling the members together toform the door utilizing the cavity of the vertically-oriented members,the cope of the horizontally-oriented members, and applicable glue; andedge banding the outer edges of the door with an edge band such asveneer or a plastic band.

In another preferred embodiment method, the forming of the memberscomprises machining strips of veneer covered substrate to the propersize for forming each of the members, forming the cavity and a patternprofile on the at least two vertically-oriented members, forming thecavity, cope and the pattern on the at least two horizontally-orientedmembers, and veneering the pattern profile on each of the at least twovertically-oriented members and each of the at least twohorizontally-oriented members.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, a cabinet having the inventive door of the present inventioncomprises a housing and a raised panel door comprising veneer andattached to a side of the housing, the raised panel door having at leasttwo horizontally-oriented framing members disposed between twovertically-oriented framing members to form a door frame, and having acenter panel disposed within the door frame, each exposed edge of thedoor having edge banding applied to the exposed edge.

An advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is theavoidance of costly solid wood materials requiring costly and laborintensive manufacturing, and the decrease in the amount of wood stocktaken from the environment.

Another advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present invention isthat a less costly, high quality raised panel door may be offered to theconsumer.

A further advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present inventionis a more aesthetically pleasing raised panel door, with uniformstaining, decreased warping, and better uniformity of appearance due toelimination of staples and visible cope and groove seams.

Yet another advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present inventionis improved structural stability and strength of the door through theuse of edge banding across the cope and groove joints between the stilesand rails.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures or processes for carrying outthe same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realizedby those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a prior art raised panel door;

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are isometric views of preferred embodiment raisedpanel doors;

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b, and 3 c illustrate a preferred embodiment stile andrail;

FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment cabinet comprising a raisedpanel door;

FIG. 5 illustrates the substrate material used in a preferredembodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates an edge bander applying an edge band to the edge of apreferred embodiment raised panel door;

FIGS. 7 a through 7 d illustrate alternative embodiment edge banding;

FIG. 8 is an isometric cross-section view of a stile or rail;

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b are isometric views of veneer being applied to apattern profile;

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b are isometric views of profiled edge banding beingapplied to a profiled edge of a door; and

FIGS. 11 a and 11 b are isometric views of preferred embodiment raisedpanel doors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The making and using of the presently preferred embodiments arediscussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that thepresent invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that canbe embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to makeand use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention.

With reference now to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, there are shown isometric viewsof preferred embodiment raised panel doors 26. The door 26 compriseshorizontally-oriented members or rails 28, vertically-oriented membersor stiles 30, a center panel 32, and edge banding 34. The rails 28,stiles 30, and center panel 32 are comprised of a wood veneer laid overa manufactured material such as pressed wood, medium density fiberboard(MDF), particleboard, chip board, or some other engineered corematerial. The rails 28 and stiles 30 each contain an inner edge 36 whichmay be a simple or pattern profile. The outer edge 38 of the rails 28and stiles 30 may also be a simple edge such as a squared edge as shownin FIG. 2 a or a pattern profile as shown in FIG. 2 b. The twocomponents rails 28 and stiles 30 have interlocking members whichconnect the components together.

The interlocking members may form a traditional cope and pattern doorjoint where the rails 28 are mated to the stiles 30. For simplicity, thecope and pattern joint are illustrated in FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c withone end of one rail 28 and one end of one stile 30. It should beappreciated, however, that the cope and joint pattern exists at each offour intersections of stiles 30 and rails 28.

As shown in FIG. 3 a, the rails 28 comprise coped edges 40 from which aprotruding member 42 extends perpendicularly from the edge 40. Theprotruding member 42 is shaped and sized to fit within a cavity 44 whichis formed within and along the length L of the stiles 30. When theprotruding member 40 is fully seated in the cavity 44, the stiles 30 andrails 28 are joined together in a final fit of the door 26 as shown inFIG. 3 b.

The edge banding 34, as shown in FIG. 3 c, is preferably located on allthe exposed outer edges of the finished door 26. The edge banding 34preferably comprises any suitable material that conforms to therequirements of softforming, such as a wood veneer or a plasticmaterial, but may also be made of a more substantial piece of materialsuch as solid wood.

Several advantages are incurred using edge banding 34. The strength andstability of the door 26 is substantially increased over that of priorart doors because all of the edges of the door 26, including joint seams35, are supported with the edge banding 34. In addition, edge banding 34gives the completed door 26 the aesthetically pleasing appearance of asolid wood profile showing no joint seams 35. Furthermore, the exposededges 36 and 38 of the door 26, which may be nicked or scratched inusing door 26, are protected, thus extending the life of the door 26 aswell as improving the appearance of the door 26. Also, there is asignificant savings in cost and materials as approximately 32 to 40slices, for example, of veneer may be processed out of one inch of solidwood material.

As shown in FIG. 3 a, the upper surface of both stile 30 and rail 28 arepreferably covered with a veneer material. This veneer is applied in anysuitable manner known in the art. In the preferred embodiment ofmanufacturing the door, the veneer is applied beforehand so that thestarting material includes veneer on the major surfaces. The veneerpreferably covers the bottom surface of stile 30 and rail 28 oppositethe upper surface. This can be seen in FIG. 8, which shows veneer 60 onthe bottom major surface and veneer 62 on the upper major surface ofengineered substrate 64.

The raised panel door 26 can be used in many structures including, asexamples, residential and commercial cabinets, which is used herein toinclude lockers and other similar case goods. A cabinet 27 having theraised panel door 26 is shown in FIG. 4. The cabinet 27 comprises ahousing 29 and the wood veneered raised panel door 26 and attached tothe housing 29 (e.g., by hinges 31) to form a closed structure. Theraised panel door 26 can be designed and stained to coordinate with thestyle, color, size, and shape of the housing 29. In another preferredembodiment, other portions of the cabinet, such as the sides, back, topor bottom, may also be made from a raised panel element. An element mayalso be formed such that a raised panel and pattern appears on bothsides of the element. In addition, a raised panel element may comprisemultiple raised panels and the appropriate number of stiles and rails toframe the multiple raised panels. For example, an element with tworaised panels may have two stiles and three rails, and so on.

A method of manufacturing the veneered raised panel door 26 comprisesforming pieces of a substrate into the rails 28, the stiles 30, and thecenter panel 32, forming pattern profiles on the inside edges of thestiles and rails, veneering the pattern profiles, assembling the stiles30, rails 28, and center panel 32 together to form the door 26, and edgebanding the outer edges 38 of the door 26.

Referring to FIG. 5, stiles 30, rails 28, and center panel 32 can eachbe formed from a substrate 41 of a material such as MDF, particleboard,chipboard, plastic, or some other engineered core material. As discussedabove, the major surfaces 48 (top and bottom) are initially layered witha veneer material, which may be made of any suitable material such aswood or a plastic. The edge surfaces are initially left without veneer.In many instances, this board can be purchased with veneer on the majorsurfaces.

The substrate 41 is then cut to size to create the stiles, rails andcenter panels. The size of the various pieces is selected to achieve aparticular width stile 30, rail 28, or center panel 32. For example,approximately four inch wide strips are cut to achieve about a 3½ inchwide stile 30 or rail 28. Of course, there is no requirement that thevarious portions of the door be cut from the same substrate.

The strips are then processed through a machine, for example a softformer, to further process the strips of substrate into finished stiles30 and rails 28, which are shown in FIG. 3 a. The soft former machines apattern profile on the inside edge of the components, applies glue onthe profile (and/or the veneer), puts the veneer on that profile, rollsthe veneer tightly on the profile, finishes the edges to make themsmooth, and then cuts the groove in the profile for the center panel. Ofcourse, these and other processes described herein may be performed indifferent orders, and may be performed on one machine or multiplemachines.

The soft former is computer-controlled and has a plurality of rollersand can be pre-programmed with the information on a variety of differentprofiles to be used in the pattern profile of the stiles 30 and rails28, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b. Rollers 80 are set up toconform the veneer 84 to the pattern 82 formed on the edge of the stilesand rails. The computer-generated pattern profile data may be modifiedto veneer multiple door types. The plurality of rollers is designed witha cylindrical type armature (not shown). The rollers are also designedto rotate and move along the profile to apply varying pressure to theprofile as needed to conform and affix the veneer to the profile. Thenumber of rollers and the angle of the rollers are determined by theprofile to be veneered. Surfaces up to about a 90 degree angle or moremay be veneered utilizing a preferred embodiment method.

FIG. 9 a illustrates a preferred embodiment in which veneer 84 isapplied to the pattern profile 82 before the groove is cut into theprofile. Alternatively, FIG. 9 b illustrates groove 86 cut into theprofile before the veneer 84 is applied, although this requires twopieces of veneer. In the preferred embodiment, the veneer glued to thepattern profile is generally about 0.0125 inch thick and has a 50 gramfleeced backing. The thinness of the veneer and fleeced backing givesthe veneer added flexibility and facilitates the forming of creases fortight profiles without breaking. In addition, the heat of the hot meltglue further increases the pliability of the veneer. Alternatively, theveneer may have another type of cloth or paper backing that makes theveneer pliable and flexible, and less susceptible to cracking thanveneer without such a backing. Alternatively, a different thicknessveneer, such as between about 0.001 to 0.1 inches, may be used for thepattern profile depending on the specific application. This veneeringprocess allows the pattern profile formed in an engineered core stile orrail to be covered with a veneer, providing the appearance of a solidwood stile or rail.

A double-end tennoner may be used to form the copes on the ends of therails, as previously shown in FIG. 3 a. The stiles 30, rails 28, andpanel 32 are then assembled by gluing the stiles 30 and rails 28 as aframe around center panel 32. Generally, because all pieces are the sameor similar core material, the center panel will have a coefficient ofexpansion similar to that of the frame, and thus the center panel may beglued in place, eliminating the need for staples as in the prior art.The same veneer can be used as the pattern veneer on the inner surfacesof the stiles and rails as that on the stile and rail major surfaces andcenter panel. Of course, other methods of securing the components toeach other may be used.

The outer edges of the stiles 30 and rails 28 may then be edge banded. Athin piece of veneer or edge banding may be applied to the outer edgesof the stiles 30 and rails 28 by a computer-controlled machine havingrollers generally known as a edge bander. The edge bander may be asingle-side edge bander wherein only one side is banded or a double-sideedge bander where two sides may be banded simultaneously. It should alsobe appreciated that an edge-banding system can be used which comprisessome combination of the single- and double-side edge banders.

The edge bander is computer-controlled and has a plurality of rollers 70as shown in FIG. 6. Preferably, door 72 has a straight outside edge 74to which the rollers 70 apply edge banding 76. Alternatively, the edgebander may be pre-programmed with the information on a variety ofdifferent profiles to be used in the edge banding of the stiles 30 andrails 28, as with the pattern profile on the inside edges of the frame.The computer-generated profile data may be modified to band multipledoor types. The rollers 70 are designed to rotate and move along theprofile to apply varying pressure to the profile as needed toeffectively affix the banding to the profile. The number of rollers andthe angle of the rollers are determined by the profile to be banded.

Preferably, the rail edges of the door 26 are run through the edgebander before the stiles. First, a portion of the edge is trimmed off,approximately two millimeters off the door 26 to result in a flatprofile surface, compensating for any mismatch between the cope andgroove joint where the stile and rails meet. A two millimeter edgebanding 78 of either plastic or wood is then banded over that surface.This allows a particular door style to be repeatedly manufactured withsubstantially the same size. This may be repeated for the stile edges ofthe door.

The edge banding is applied with a hot melt glue and pressed intocontact with the rollers. The hot melt glue is any suitable industrialfast clamping glue available on the market. Preferably, the hot meltglue has a clamping time of only a few minutes so as not to hold up theassembly line.

The edge banding 34 to be applied generally has a thickness of about 0.5mm to about 19 mm. However, the determination of the thickness of theedge banding to be used is dependant on the detail and size of theprofile for a particular application. The relationship of the thicknessto the size and detail is proportional to the size of the profile andinversely proportional to the detail of the profile, i.e., the smallerand more detailed the profile, the thinner the edge banding should be.This relationship helps prevent the edge banding from cracking orbreaking during the application of the edge banding to the component.For some applications, thinner pieces of edge banding are desirablebecause they require less material and more pieces can be utilized percubic inch of a veneer sheet.

FIGS. 7 a through 7 d show alternative embodiments for the outside edge90 of the stiles and rails, which may be used for decorative orfunctional purposes. These outer edges 90 may be edge banded in the samemanner as the pattern profiles, however, the edge banding will be cut ata profiled simple or compound angle (or in a more complicated pattern toaccommodate a more complicated profile) to form a profiled joint in thecorner of the edge banding. FIG. 7 a illustrates a decorative profiledwood or plastic piece 92 glued onto the edge of frame 94, without anyedge banding. FIG. 7 b illustrates a profiled wood piece 96 glued ontoframe 94 and then partially edge banded with edge banding 98. FIG. 7 cillustrates a profiled wood piece 100 glued onto frame 94 and then fullyedge banded with a single piece of edge banding 102. FIG. 7 dillustrates a profiled wood piece 104 glued onto frame 94 and then edgebanded with multiple pieces of edge banding 106 and 108.

FIG. 10 a illustrates edge banding 110 and edge banding 112 which haveprofiled angle cuts 114 and 116, respectively, to match the profiledcorner 118 of door 120. The edge banded door 122 is shown in FIG. 10 bwith the edge banding conforming to profiled corner 124.

With reference now to FIGS. 11 a and 11 b, there are shown isometricviews of preferred embodiment raised panel doors 126. The door 126comprises horizontally-oriented members or rails 128,vertically-oriented members or stiles 130, center panels 132, and edgebanding 134. The rails 128, stiles 130, and center panel 132 arecomprised of a wood veneer laid over a manufactured material such aspressed wood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard, chipboard, or some other engineered core material. The rails 128 and stiles130 each contain an inner edge 136 which may be a simple or patternprofile. The outer edge 138 of the rails 128 and stiles 130 may also bea simple edge such as a squared edge as shown in FIG. 11 a or a patternprofile as shown in FIG. 11 b. The two components rails 128 and stiles130 have interlocking members which connect the components together. Theinterlocking members may form a traditional cope and pattern door jointwhere the rails 128 are mated to the stiles 130.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositionof matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Asone of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed, that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the present invention.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps.

1. A veneered panel element comprising: a first stile having a veneeredcore, a groove along an elongated inner edge, and edge banding along anelongated outer edge opposite the inner edge; a second stile having aveneered core, a groove along an elongated inner edge, and edge bandingalong an elongated outer edge opposite the inner edge; a first railhaving a veneered core and a groove along an elongated inner edge, thefirst rail having a first cope at a first end and a second cope at asecond end, the first rail disposed between the first and second stiles,wherein the first cope of the first rail is joined to the groove of thefirst stile adjacent a first end of the first stile, and wherein thesecond cope of the first rail is joined to the groove of the secondstile adjacent a first end of the second stile; a second rail having aveneered core and a first groove along an elongated inner edge, thesecond rail having a first cope at a first end and a second cope at asecond end, the second rail disposed between the first and secondstiles, wherein the first cope of the second rail is joined to thegroove of the first stile, and wherein the second cope of the secondrail is joined to the groove of the second stile; a first center panelhaving a veneered core, the first center panel having outer edgesdisposed within the grooves of the first stile and the first rail; and afirst continuous edge band disposed on the first end of the first stile,on an outer edge of the first rail and on the first end of the secondstile, wherein the first edge band is disposed across a first jointformed between the first stile and the first rail, and across a secondjoint formed between the second stile and the first rail.
 2. Theveneered panel element of claim 1, wherein the first cope of the secondrail is joined to the groove of the first stile adjacent a second end ofthe first stile, and wherein the second cope of the second rail isjoined to the groove of the second stile adjacent a second end of thesecond stile, wherein the element further comprises a second continuousedge band disposed on the second end of the first stile, on an outeredge of the second rail and on the second end of the second stile,wherein the second edge band is disposed across a third joint formedbetween the first stile and the second rail, and across a fourth jointformed between the second stile and the second rail.
 3. The veneeredpanel element of claim 2, wherein the first center panel is the solecenter panel contained in the element, and wherein the first centerpanel has outer edges disposed within the groove of the second stile andthe first groove of the second rail.
 4. The veneered panel element ofclaim 1, wherein the first center panel is a raised panel.
 5. Theveneered panel element of claim 1, wherein the veneered panel element isa door.
 6. The veneered panel element of claim 1, wherein the elongatedinner edges of the first stile, the second stile, the first rail, andthe second rail comprise a pattern profile.
 7. The veneered panelelement of claim 1, wherein the outer edges of the first stile, thesecond stile, and the first rail comprise a pattern profile.
 8. Theveneered panel element of claim 1, wherein the first cope of the secondrail is joined to the groove of the first stile between the first endand a second end of the first stile, and wherein the second cope of thesecond rail is joined to the groove of the second stile between thefirst end and a second end of the second stile, the second rail having asecond groove disposed on a second elongated edge opposite the elongatedinner edge, the element further comprising a third rail having aveneered core and a groove along an elongated inner edge, the third railhaving a first cope at a first end and a second cope at a second end,the third rail disposed between the first and second stiles, wherein thefirst cope of the third rail is joined to the groove of the first stileadjacent a second end of the first stile, and wherein the second cope ofthe third rail is joined to the groove of the second stile adjacent asecond end of the second stile; and a second center panel having aveneered core, the second center panel having outer edges disposedwithin the groove of the first stile and the groove of the third rail.9. The veneered panel element of claim 8, wherein the first and secondcenter panels are the only center panels contained in the element,wherein the first center panel has outer edges disposed within thegroove of the second stile and the first groove of the second rail, andwherein the second center panel has outer edges disposed within thegroove of the second stile and the second groove of the second rail. 10.The veneered panel element of claim 8, wherein a second continuous edgeband disposed on the second end of the first stile, on an outer edge ofthe third rail and on the second end of the second stile, wherein thesecond edge band is disposed across a third joint formed between thefirst stile and the third rail, and across a fourth joint formed betweenthe second stile and the third rail.
 11. The veneered panel element ofclaim 8, wherein the first and second center panels are raised panels.12. The veneered panel element of claim 8, wherein the elongated inneredges of the first stile, the second stile, the first rail, the secondrail, and the third rail comprise a pattern profile, and wherein thesecond elongated edge of the second rail comprises the pattern profile.13. The veneered panel element of claim 8, wherein the outer edges ofthe first stile, the second stile, the first rail, and the third railcomprise a pattern profile.
 14. A veneered panel element comprising: afirst stile having a veneered core, a groove along an elongated inneredge, and edge banding along an elongated outer edge opposite the inneredge; a second stile having a veneered core, a groove along an elongatedinner edge, and edge banding along an elongated outer edge opposite theinner edge; a first rail having a veneered core and a groove along anelongated inner edge, the first rail having a first cope at a first endand a second cope at a second end, the first rail disposed between thefirst and second stiles, wherein the first cope of the first rail isjoined to the groove of the first stile adjacent a first end of thefirst stile, and wherein the second cope of the first rail is joined tothe groove of the second stile adjacent a first end of the second stile;a second rail having a veneered core and a groove along an elongatedinner edge, the second rail having a first cope at a first end and asecond cope at a second end, the second rail disposed between the firstand second stiles, wherein the first cope of the second rail is joinedto the groove of the first stile adjacent a second end of the firststile, and wherein the second cope of the second rail is joined to thegroove of the second stile adjacent a second end of the second stile; afirst center panel corner region disposed within the grooves of thefirst stile and the first rail; a second center panel corner regiondisposed within the grooves of the first stile and the second rail; athird center panel corner region disposed within the grooves of thesecond stile and the second rail; a fourth center panel corner regiondisposed within the grooves of the second stile and the first rail; afirst continuous edge band disposed on the first end of the first stile,on an outer edge of the first rail and on the first end of the secondstile, wherein the first edge band is disposed across a first jointformed between the first stile and the first rail, and across a secondjoint formed between the second stile and the first rail; and a secondcontinuous edge band disposed on the second end of the first stile, onan outer edge of the second rail and on the second end of the secondstile, wherein the second edge band is disposed across a third jointformed between the first stile and the second rail, and across a fourthjoint formed between the second stile and the second rail.
 15. Theveneered panel element of claim 14, wherein a single center panelincludes the first, second, third, and fourth corner regions.
 16. Theveneered panel element of claim 14, wherein a first center panelincludes the first and second corner regions.
 17. The veneered panelelement of claim 14, wherein a first center panel includes the first andfourth corner regions.
 18. The veneered panel element of claim 17,wherein a second center panel includes the second and third cornerregions.
 19. The veneered panel element of claim 14, wherein the centerpanel corner regions are raised panel corner regions.
 20. The veneeredpanel element of claim 14, wherein the veneered panel element is a door.21. The veneered panel element of claim 14, wherein the elongated inneredges of the first stile, the second stile, the first rail, and thesecond rail comprise a pattern profile.
 22. The veneered panel elementof claim 14, wherein the outer edges of the first stile, the secondstile, the first rail, and the second rail comprise a pattern profile.